Container filling machine



y 1937- s. R. HOWARD 2,080,482

CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Filed NOV. 6, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY c mm,

May 18, 1937. s. R. HOWARD CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 dKJ QMQAQLQ ATTORNEY May 18, 1937. I s. R. HOWARD, 2,080,482

CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE ATTORNEY May 18, 1937. s. R. HOWARD CONTAINER FILLING MACHJLNE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 6, 1955 Irlv INVENTOR .S I, B

- OLKQLA-LL' ATTORNEY Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER FILLING MACHINE Application November 6, 1935, Serial No. 48,522

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a container filling machine, and more particularly to a machine for cleaning and filling containers.

In general, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and highly efficient machine for cleaning and filling bottles in a rapid, economical and efficient manner.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a machine for cleaning and filling containers such as bottles, in which provision is made for enabling the machine to operate upon containers of different sizes with minimum adjustment of the various operating mechanisms of the machine to the end that minimum time may be lost in preparing the machine for operation upon containers of different size.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel filling machine for filling containers in which provision is made for handling the overflow and returning it to the supply tank by novel and highly efficient mechanism.

With these objects in View, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the filling machine, in the filling and cleaning machine, and in the various structures; arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the filling and cleaning machine; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail of control mechanism to be referred to; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5-is an end elevation of the machine viewed from the right of Fig. 1; and Figs. 6 and 7 are details in partial elevation and section of the vacuum control valve to be referred to.

In general, the different features of the invention are illustrated herein as embodied in a machine for cleaning and filling bottles, although as will be hereinafter pointed out certain features of the invention may be used with advantage in a filling machine alone, and other features of the invention may be used in connection with other machines in which it is desired to convey receptacles and the like into operative position with respect to various operating instrumentalities.

Referring to the drawings, in the illustrated machine l0 represents a cleaning head which may and preferably will comprise a cleaning head operable on the vacuum principle, such as is disclosed in the patent to Newey No. 1,977,138, and I2 represents a filling head also preferably operable upon the vacuum principle, such as is disclosed in the patent to Pennock No. 1,737,677. Provision is made in the machine for evacuating the containers by suction applied to the cleaning and filling heads l6, l2, as will be described, so that when the containers are brought into sealing engagement with the filling and cleaning heads the suction created within the containers is utilized to draw in a stream of air into the containers to be cleaned to perform the cleaning operation, and the liquid is drawn into the containers to be filled from a supply tank in accordance with the general principles of operation of the Newey and Pennock patents respectively, to which reference may be made for a complete description thereof.

In order that the present machine may operate bers corresponding to the number of cleaning or filling heads in the machine. The pusher mem-.

bers of each set areas stated connected together and are mounted upon a crossbar 26 extended lengthwise of the front of the machine. The crossbar 26 is arranged to be moved to advance the pusher members 20, 22 by an operating'cam 28 on a cam shaft 30, and the operating cam 28 is arranged to be driven from a driving motor 32 through connections including a pulley 34 on the motor shaft, a belt 36 by which the pulley 34 is connected to a large pulley 38 upon a counter shaft 411, and thence through a pulley 42 also mounted upon the counter shaft, see Fig. 5, and belt 44 to a large pulley 46 upon a cross shaft 48. The latter is geared through the gears 50, 52 to a second cross shaft 54 connected by a pair of beveled gears 56, 58 to the cam shaft 30 extending lengthwise of the machine. The second bev eled gear 58 is loosely mounted on the cam shaft 30 and is connected thereto under the control' of the operator by a one-revolution clutch of any usual or preferred construction and indicated gen erally at 60. As illustrated herein, the one-revolution clutch 60 is arranged to be operated by the operator upon the depression of the treadle 62 connected, as illustrated, through a linkage to the one revolution clutch.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the operating cam 28 has cooperating with it a cam roll 64 mounted upon a cam arm 66 secured to a short shaft 68, and the latter has also secured thereon a segmental shaped piece I operatively connected by the members I2, I4, of a toggle to a connecting arm I loose upon the short shaft, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The connecting arm I5 is pivoted to a. link I6 by which it is connected to an arm I8 secured upon a longitudinal shaft 80 joumalled in suitable bearings in the machine frame and to which a similar arm BI is secured at the second end thereof. The arms I8, 8| are connected by bars 82 to the pusher cross-bar 26 at'near the opposite ends thereof. In this manner the cam operates through the cam roller and cam arm and through the segmental shaped piece and toggle to rock the loosely mounted arm 15, and thence through the described link, arms and bars to effeet the return movement of the crossbar 26, and the pushers 20, 22 carried thereby, through a definite stroke. The parts are advanced to operating position by the spring 84' connected to the cam arm 66.

In order to adjust the initial starting point from which the pusher members 20, 22 are advanced through the definite stroke corresponding to the throw of the cam 28, the link I6 is preferably of an adjustable construction, and as herein shown comprises a known form of adjustable connecting rod I6 having end pieces 83 arranged to be screwed upon the threaded ends of the rod 11 to lengthen or shorten the same and locking nuts 85 for maintaining the parts in their adjusted position. In order to provide additional adjustment of the initialstarting point, a second adjustmentis provided, see Fig. 2, which. comprises an arm 50I fixed to the longitudinal shaft 80 and which is adjustably secured to the loosely mountedarm 18. A slot 502 is provided in the arm 50I to relatively adjust the position of the arm 18. It may also be desirable to adjust the position of the clamped lever I5 on the stud shaft 68 to correspond to the adjustment of the arm I8.

In the operation of the machine, a row of containers such as bottles are positioned by the operator or otherwise in front of the outer set of pusher members 20, and the bottles in this position are supported upon a slotted plate 80 mounted upon a bracket 92 secured to the machine frame, and during the advance of the pusher members 20, the row of bottles is moved by the individual outer pusher, members between guide members 94 ontothe surface of an elevator 96, which in its lowered position issubstantially flush with the slotted plate 90.

Provision is made for elevating the elevator to lift the bottles into sealing engagement with the cleaning and filling heads, such position being shownin Fig. 4. As herein shown, the bottle elevator 96 is lifted by two springs 98 each connected by a chain 99 running over an idler wheel I00 to a segmental member I02 mounted upon a shaft I04 journalled in suitable bearings in brackets I06 projecting from the front of the machine frame, and the member I02 has pivotally connected to it one end of aconnecting rod I08, the second end of which is connected to the elevator. The segmental member "I02 is also connected through a secondconnecting rod H0 and cam lever II2 to-an operating cam II on the main cam shaft 30. A cam roll I I6 carried by the cam lever II2 cooperates with the face of block.

the cam I I4, and in the operation of the machine the cam functions to lower the elevator and the springs 88 to lift the elevator when permitted to do so by the cam.

In order to prevent the operation of the pushers 20, 22, in the event that the elevator 96 encounters abnormal resistance in its upward movement, a safety device is provided, herein shown as comprising a latch bar I20 canied by and pivotally connected to the upper end of the member .15.. The latch bar I20 has an engaging notch I22 formed in its under side which normally rests over a pin t2! secured to the machine frame and by which the movement of the member 15 is prevented until the latch bar is elevated by the elevator 86, as will now be described. The elevator 86 is provided with a bar or rod I26 depending therefrom and guided in its movement by a guide member I28 secured to the machine frame, and the rod I26 is provided with a pin I28 arranged to project into the path of the latch bar I20 and to lift the same from the full to the dotted line position, shown in detail in Fig. 3, during the movement of the elevator through such portion of the stroke as will preclude the possibility of the occurrence of a j am or abnormal resistance to the continued movement of the elevator through the remainder of its stroke. During the operation of the machine, as the latching bar I20 is lifted to its dotted line position (Fig. 3) by the elevator, indicating the occurrence of no abnormal resistance to the movement of the elevator, and consequently indicating the fact that there will'be no jam between the bottle and the fillingor cleaning heads, then the member 15 is free to turn upon the shaft 68 and the toggle I2, I4 remains in its closed position. In the event, however, that a jam does occur between a bottle and,

its head, due for example to faulty centering of the bottle, or for any other reason, then the latch member I20 remains in engagement with its lock-.

after referred to as bottles, are filled with the filling liquid in accordance with the well-known vacuum method of filling forming the subject matter of the Pennock patent above referred to. As herein shown, the machine is provided with a plurality of the cleaning and filling heads I0 and I 2 see Fig. 'l, and each filling head I2 includes a nozzle block 200 mounted upon a cross member of the machine frame and a valve memher 202 slidably disposed within each nozzle The nozzle block is provided with a valve seat 204 cooperating with the valve memher 206 formed on the valve member 202. The valve member 202 is provided with an air nozzle 208 mounted within .an outer liquid nozzle 2 I0, and both nozzles are fixed to the valve member 202 to form an integral part thereof. The lower end of the air nozzle 208 communicates with the hole 2I2 in the side of the liquid nozzle,.

or bowl, see Fig. 4. The liquid nozzle U0 is con nected to the liquid supply tank 225 by a hole in the liquid nozzle and a connecting passage in the block leading to a manifold 22! from which a pipe line 229 extends downwardly and terminates in the lower portion of the supply tank 225.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 6 and '7, the machine is provided with a valve 300 connected by pipes 302 to a vacuum pump indicated generally at 305, and the vacuum pump may comprise any of the known types now upon the market. An intermediate vacuum chamber 306 is included in the pipe line 302 to assist in maintaining .an ample vacuum. The valve 300 is adapted to be operated by the worm 304, see Fig. '7, which is arranged to cooperate with a worm wheel 30! on the valve shaft 308. The valve is connected to the vacuum chambers 223 and 224 by connecting pipes 340, 34!. The worm 304 and. consequently the valve member 401 of the valve is arranged to be driven by cooperating gears 342, 343, the latter being upon the shaft 48, see Fig. 1. The bottoms of the valve chambers 223 and 224 are provided with depending pipes 350, 35!, having check valves 352, 353. The upper chamber 223 is under vacuum at all times during the operation of the machine and the valve 300 is arranged to be positively operated to alternately connect and disconnect the lower chamber 224 with the source of vacuum and to alternately open and close the chamber 224 to atmospheric pressure, so that at the end of a filling operation the excess liquid from the containers being filled is drawn through the air nozzle 208 and through the manifold 219 and pipe 22l into the upper chamber.

Thereafter, when the lower chamber is connected to the vacuum through the valve 300, the liquid from the upper chamber will pass downwardly through the drain pipe 350 into the lower chamber. Subsequently, when the lower chamber is subjected to atmospheric pressure, the accumulated liquid therein passes through the second drain pipe 35I down to the liquid supply tank 225.

In order to secure this result, the valve 300 is preferably constructed, as illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7, and is provided with two chambers 40!, 403. The chamber 40! is cylindrical in shape and is connected by a port 405 to the pipe 302 which, as above stated, is connected to the source of vacuum. It will be noted that the pipe 34l, which establishes the vacuum in the upper chamber 223, is directly connected to the source of vacuum through a fitting 230 mounted above the valve 300, and therefore vacuum is maintained in the upper chamber at all times independent of the valve 300. The cham ber 403 is connected to the pipe 340, which controls the vacuum in the lower chamber 224. The valve chambers WI, 403 are alternately connected and disconnected by a rotatable closure and by-pass valve member 401., yieldingly held against the face of the valve 300 by a spring 409 and collar 9 on the valve shaft, as shown. The closure member 401 is keyed to the shaft to rotate therewith and to be capable of movement longitudinally thereof. In operation, the central chamber 40l is connected with the chamber 403 during the rotation of the valve member through substantially one-half of a cycle, thus establishing suction within the lower chamber 224 of the overflow trap. During the remaining half cycle the chamber 403 is closed to the vacuum and provision is made for connecting the chamber 403 with the atmosphere during this half of the cycle, and for this purpose a second and usual by-pass 42I open to the atmosphere is provided in the rotatable valve member 401 to admit air, so that the liquid in the lower chamber may be drawn off into the tank 225 by gravity.

After the bottles have been cleaned and filled in the manner above described, the elevator returns to its initial position and at the next operation of the machine the row of filled bottles is discharged onto a discharge conveyor 500 by a row of previously cleaned bottles and are thus removed from the machine.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:-

1. In a machine of the character described, in combination, an operating head, container elevating means, means for moving containers onto said elevating means when the latter is in a retracted position, and a safety device for preventing the operation of said container moving means in the event that the elevator encounters undue resistance in its movement toward the operating head.

2. In a machine of the character described, in combination, an operating head, a container supporting member, means for relatively moving the operating head and container supporting member to present a container to the operating member, container moving means for moving con-, tainers onto the supporting member, and a safety device for preventing the operation of said container moving means in the event that undue resistance is encountered in the aforesaid relative movement of the operating member and the container supporting member.

3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a cleaning head, a filling head, an elevator for moving containers into position to be cleaned and filled, container moving means for moving containers onto said elevating means, and a safety device controlled by the elevator for preventing the operation of said container moving means in the event that undue resistance is encountered by said elevator in its movement.

STANLEY R. HOWARD. 

